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KDY All Terrain Armored Transport
The All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walker, also known as the Imperial Walker, was a major part of the Galactic Empire's army. It was one of the most heavily armored land vehicles in the Imperial Army, but was also known for its relatively slow speed. Description The AT-AT walker was a behemoth of a war machine, standing at a height of 22.5 meters. The quadrupedal walker closely resembled ancient beasts of war, or even a giant legendary beast from the dark side of the Force. Designed for the dual purpose of crushing and demoralizing enemy forces, and also serving as a transport for Imperial troops and light vehicles, the AT-AT was among the most awesome vehicles in the Imperial Army inventory. Its intimidating and powerful presence often earned it the distinction of being the first vehicle into a combat zone. Serving as the "head" of the mechanical walker was a movable command section containing the command cockpit, with room for the commander, pilot, and gunner. The command section housed all of the AT-AT's weapon systems, as well as holographic targeting systems allowing the gunners a 360-degree view of their position. The cockpit was also equipped with a holoprojector for purposes of external communication. Forward visualization was supplied by a glowing red command viewport. The head could rotate as much as ninety degrees right or left and thirty degrees up or down for an expansive field of fire. Positioned above and below the command section was the walker's sensor array and blaster cannon energizer, respectively. The command head was attached to the trapezoidal armed body section by a flexible armored tunnel, allowing cockpit access from the rest of the machine. The AT-AT's troop section could typically carry five speeder bikes, up to forty troops normally comprising Imperial stormtroopers or Imperial land assault troopers in a double-tiered passenger section, and heavy weaponry, such as E-Web heavy repeating blasters. The AT-AT could also variably hold two All Terrain Scout Transports in lieu of soldiers in a rear vehicle bay, though they required partial disassembly to fit inside. Housing the troop section were two large side panels; each one held an escape hatch. The rear panel also housed the troop staging area. Positioned in the center of the body section was a rectangular boarding hatch with sliding ramps where the AT-AT's complement of troops loaded and disembarked. An AT-AT unloaded its troops by kneeling to three meters above ground level until the boarding ramp could extend outward. Individual stormtroopers could also be deployed rapidly by rappelling cable. Below the troop body section were two immense Kuat Drive Yards FW62 compact fusion drive systems that, in conjunction with the walker's four giant heavily-reinforced legs, propelled the AT-AT forward at a top speed of sixty kilometers per hour. However, this maximum rate was achievable only on a flat, stable terrain. At the rear of the drive motors were the walker's three fuel slug tanks, connected to the drive motors, which powered the massive machine. The AT-AT's rear also included atmospheric exchangers and a filtration unit to regulate the interior living conditions. The walker's legs were supported by massive durasteel footpads with impulse terrain sensors, supplemented each by toe flaps, that could crush obstacles in its path with little effort, effectively helping the AT-AT to live up to its name. The legs did, however, require constant maintenance and repair. As the titanic walker marched down the battlefield, its heavy, stomping feet would cause the ground to shake, demoralizing the enemy before they were even engaged. The AT-AT's formidable offensive capabilities were supplied by dual, chin-mounted Taim & Bak MS-1 fire-linked heavy laser cannons for slower, more cumbersome targets and two fire-linked medium repeating blasters mounted on each side of the head designed for lighter, agile targets. The two sets of weapons could be independently rotated in order to engage multiple targets at once. However, the AT-AT head, which could move between a range of left, center, and right firing arcs, could only rotate one fire arc per heavy laser volley. The walker's strong external 9095-T8511 grade durasteel armor was virtually impervious to all but the heaviest of artillery weapons. The most vulnerable part of the walker was a weak point found at its flexible neck, which was susceptible to lighter blaster barrages. The legs were also somewhat unstable and could be tripped due to a high center of gravity, leaving the walker defenseless. While first appearing to be a slow, lumbering vehicle, the AT-AT would often times be on top of its enemies before they knew what had hit them. The AT-AT also lacked armor covering on its underbelly, leaving the spot vulnerable to mounted guns or portable missile launchers. To remedy this weakness, AT-STs were usually stationed around the flank of the walker to ensure nothing was given a clear shot at the AT-AT's weak underside. AT-ATs were typically deployed for ground assault from orbit by large dropships. Walkers stationed within larger warships, such as the Executor-class Star Dreadnought, were delivered to planetary surfaces within Incom Y-85 Titan dropships, capable of carrying four 22.5-meter AT-ATs. Smaller starships, such as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, deployed single walkers via the Theta-class AT-AT barge. Other designs, including the Telgorn Corporation Warlord Dropship, were capable of delivering a platoon of four walkers. Modified Variants The Empire utilized several modified variants of the standard AT-AT design for purposes of fitting certain mission profiles in specific environments. The walkers used at the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY—nicknamed "snow walkers"—were specially designed with heat circulation systems, de-icing controls, and energy efficient environmental controls. The AT-AT "dune walker" was a desert terrain walker fitted with Sienar Fleet Systems z23 heat dissipation units; while the Aquatic Terrain Armored Transport, known as the AT-AT "swimmer," was a repulsorcraft cousin of the standard model. There was also the All Terrain Ion Cannon, a long-range artillery gun mounted on an AT-AT chassis. History Clone Wars Origin and Development AT-ATs were first designed and assembled by Kuat Drive Yards during the Clone Wars. They were evolved from the AT-TE walkers first employed in the Battle of Geonosis, as well as the AT-PT. The first-generation AT-AT walkers saw their debut during the Battle of Jabiim, later on in the Clone Wars. During this battle, the overwhelmed Confederacy forces were annihilated by them. Their significance waned when the walkers were slowed down by the muddy surface on the planet, making it easier for the enemy units to bring them down. At some point, AT-AT walkers managed to fall into the hands of the CIS, with at least one unit being kept in a research facility on the Separatist world of Diado. During the Wars, wheeled tanks like the A5 and A6 Juggernauts were preferred over both the AT-AT and the AT-HE, due to the decreased ground pressure of wheeled vehicles over legged ones. Imperial Refinements During the time of the Galactic Empire, AT-ATs were not completely forgotten, as a later-generation model participated in the Battle of Orion IV. AT-ATs were being tested on the planet Carida when the Rebel Alliance attacked. The AT-AT was instrumental in winning the battle. After the Battle of Yavin, it was Maximilian Veers that fully resurrected the concept, bringing the AT-AT into full Imperial service, deployed on a wide array of worlds in the following months, including Corellia, Chandrila, and Ghorman. Nearly three years after the Battle of Yavin, Veers neared completion on a superior model while on Zaloriis. This was nicknamed the "Dune Cow". With the prototype Blizzard 1, constructed at Camp Culroon, Veers assaulted the planet's capital when Zaloriis declared their affiliation with the Rebellion. At least one AT-AT was used at the Battle of Boz Pity. The AT-AT was unknowingly steered into a trap set by Renegade Squadron; a detonation pack was used to blow up a hidden cache of explosives, and the huge explosion toppled the machine. However, the battle was ultimately a victory for the Empire. Several AT-ATs were also deployed to Ralltiir to subjugate the scientists, although several of them ended up destroyed after Red Squadron destroyed the bridges into the city with bombs developed by scientists and their speeders. At the Battle of Hoth, the Empire used the Blizzard Force AT-ATs to assault the Rebel's Echo Base, as it was protected from above by an energy shield. Due to their weight, and the unstable terrain they were traversing, a few were lost before the battle even began. General Maximilian Veers commanded the ground forces and advanced on the shield generator, decimating Rebel troopers in their trenches. Blizzard Force's frequent usage of AT-AT was also largely the reason behind their logo adopting an image of the AT-AT. Faced with such forces, Luke Skywalker employed a strategy earlier devised by himself and strategist Beryl Chiffonage to disable the walkers: his team of snowspeeders would use their magnetic harpoons and tow cables to entangle the walkers' feet, causing them to fall. Wedge Antilles and his gunner Wes Janson managed to disable one walker this way. Luke destroyed two more by cutting a hole in each with his lightsaber and tossing in a concussion grenade. Dash Rendar was able to bring down a third through unknown means. Another AT-AT that closed on Echo Base was destroyed by Renegade Squadron, which used particle cannon turrets to destroy the war machine. (The dangers of AT-AT walkers toppling was discovered by an Imperial Cadet named Davin Felth, but the oversight was not corrected by Colonel Veers prior to deployment.) Despite these small successes, they were ultimately insufficient to turn the tide of the battle, and the Battle of Hoth was one of the most devastating losses for the Rebels in the entire Galactic Civil War. The AT-ATs succeeded in destroying the shield generator, thereby allowing the main Imperial force to land and attack Echo Base. The AT-ATs would go on to devastate the Rebel defenses. During the Battle of Dubrillion, Wedge Antilles, after infiltrating the Dubrillion superlaser facility in an All Terrain Scout Transport, managed to hijack an AT-AT Walker inside of a hangar, and proceeded to use that to go to the generator room and use its firepower to destroy the superlaser facility's turbines and destroy the facility and the superlaser for good. Several AT-ATs also broke out of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Motivator after it was shot down from orbit during the Battle of Kothlis, although Rogue Squadron managed to down them in the ocean. At least one AT-AT patrolled the garrison base on the forest moon of Endor, but had no impact on the battle there, as AT-ATs were limited in their range by the dense foliage of the moon. As a result, smaller vehicles such as All Terrain Scout Transports saw far more use. An AT-AT was originally going to be used in the Battle of Endor, but it ended up becoming crippled by Renegade Squadron, resulting in portions of the Galactic Empire trying to fix it. Beyond Endor Sometime after the Battle of Endor, the Empire replaced the AT-AT's lasers and blasters with light turbolasers, easily capable of defeating many highly protected defensive weapons emplacements. In 5 ABY, an AT-AT was patrolling on Ruusan as the Imperial faction led by the Seven Dark Jedi searched for the Valley of the Jedi. Shortly after cutting down Sariss, Rebel mercenary and rising Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn headed for the Valley himself, passing through the standby AT-AT as he went. By 9 ABY, Nomad City on Nkllon was a mining operation owned by Lando Calrissian. The city was built from a Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser mounted on top of 40 captured AT-ATs to move the city constantly away from the day side of Nkllon and prevent it from being destroyed by intense radiation of Nkllon's daytime. However, the city was damaged and then abandoned, and Nomad City and its AT-ATs were destroyed by the intense radiation. During the reborn Emperor Palpatine's insurgency in a clone body from 10 ABY to 11 ABY, the Empire developed a new variant of the AT-AT that was equipped with the most powerful Imperial turbolasers and the new X-80 power cells. These were deployed during an attack on New Alderaan. During the battle, they vaporized many buildings, gun emplacements, and starfighters. Following the Galactic Civil War, AT-ATs were also used by the New Republic, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, and various other governments. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, AT-ATs were found on the Imperial Remnant planet Shramar, and battled a Yuuzhan Vong army during the battle there. The New Jedi Order's Myrkr strike team found one of these vehicles on the Yuuzhan Vong Koros-Strohna Baanu Rass in 27 ABY. AT-ATs were also deployed by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances during the liberation of Coruscant in 29 ABY. It was the predecessor of the All Terrain Armored Heavy Transport model, but was still used by Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire in 138 ABY. RPG D6 Stats Craft: All Terrain Armored Transport Type: Assault Walker Scale: Walker Length: 20.6 meters Skill: Walker Operation: AT-AT Crew: 5, skeleton: 3/+10 Crew Skill: Vehicle Blasters 5D, Walker Operation 5D Passengers: 40 (troops) or 2 AT-STs Cargo Capacity: 1 metric ton Cover: Full Cost: Not available for sale Move: 21; 60 kmh Body Strength: 6D Weapons: 2 Heavy Laser Cannons (fire-linked) Fire Arc: Front Crew: 1 (co-pilot or commander) Skill: Vehicle Blasters Fire Control: 2D Range: 50-500/1.5/3 km Damage: 6D 2 Medium Blasters (fire-linked) Fire Arc: Front Crew: 1 (co-pilot or commander) Skill: Vehicle Blasters Fire Control: 2D Range: 50-200/500/1 Km Damage: 3D Note: The AT-AT walker’s head is mounted on a pivoting neck, which can turn to face left, front and right fire arcs. An AT-AT may move its head one fire arc per turn (from left to front, right to front, front to right, or front to left). Notes Thanks to Wookieepedia for the description and history on the AT-AT. Category:Vehicles